Tsholofelo Moeng started with one washing machine, a small dryer and a business run from her home in Tshing Township, Ventersdorp. Today she leads a growing enterprise that employs members of her community, and she is only getting started.
As South Africa commemorates Women’s Month, Moeng’s journey as Managing Member of MaRocks Laundry Services, featured by SAnews, shows how determination and smart support can turn the smallest of starts into livelihoods for many.
From selling biscuits to building a business
An economics graduate of Tshwane University of Technology and North-West University, Moeng struggled to find work after her studies and sold biscuits to make ends meet. Rather than give up, she and a friend researched what their community actually needed, and MaRocks Laundry Services was born on a quiet street with limited customer traffic.
The turning point came when the pair attended training run by the National Development Agency, which supports community-owned enterprises. The training encouraged them to apply for grant funding, and after a due diligence process that began in 2022, MaRocks was approved for R222 316 in NDA grant funding in 2024.
What the funding unlocked
The grant transformed the operation. MaRocks acquired:
- Four additional commercial washing machines;
- A 2 500-litre water tank and a 7.5kVA generator, keeping the business running through water and electricity interruptions;
- Two steam irons and a basic office container.
The business now employs three additional people, brings in part-time workers during peak periods and supports an outsourced delivery service. It serves households and local businesses, washing blankets, carpets, sneakers and clothing, and offers steam-ironing services.
“We are able to operate faster than before. When there is no water, we are still operational, and even when there is no electricity, we have a generator to continue working,” Moeng said.
The next chapter: nine jobs and new services
The NDA has since provided a further R198 495 in sustainability funding, which will bring in two industrial sewing machines, an industrial overlocker, sneaker-cleaning equipment, an industrial steam iron, a press steamer and an additional container. The expansion is expected to create five new jobs while sustaining four existing ones, and will let MaRocks diversify into sewing, alterations and sneaker cleaning.
Moeng’s next ambition is a same-day dry-cleaning service for Ventersdorp, where residents currently travel out of town for the service, a move that could serve the local hospital, clinic and guest houses while creating even more work.
“I have managed and am surviving and thriving. I do not regret being here; I am doing better, providing livelihoods to others as well as myself. I show up as a businesswoman,” she said.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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